James Van Der Beek playing ... James Van Der Beek in ABC pilot

James Van Der Beek has booked his first series regular role since "Dawson's Creek," and it's a part he was born to play.

Van Der Beek will play "James Van Der Beek" in ABC's comedy pilot
"Don't Trust the B***h in Apartment 23," Deadline
reports. Like
Larry David in "Curb Your Enthusiasm" or
Matt LeBlanc in "Episodes," he'll play a version of himself as written by the show's creator,
Nahnatchka Khan ("American Dad").

The pilot centers on June (
Dreama Walker of "The Good Wife"), a girl from the Midwest who moves into an apartment with a New York scenester (
Krysten Ritter, "Breaking Bad") who proceeds to make June's life extremely complicated. The not-quite-real Van Der Beek is a friend of Ritter's character.

Fun fact: The famous-friend role was originally conceived for former *NSync member
Lance Bass, Deadline says. With The Beek onboard, revisions are being made.

Van Der Beek had a recurring part on NBC's "Mercy" last season and has also appeared on "One Tree Hill," "Criminal Minds" and "How I Met Your Mother" in recent years. But he hasn't been a full-time series player since "Dawson's Creek" ended in 2003.